Deception
by JapaneseAnimeFreak16
Summary: After a near fatal accident, Ichigo is left with no memories of being a Shinigami or Soul Society. Soon after, he along with a new Hogyoku dissapear as a new enemy makes itself known. Will Soul Society be able to fight without their greatest warrior? ON HIATUS/UNDER RECONSTRUCTION.
1. Prologue: Preparation

**Author's Note:** Hey! This is gonna be my first Bleach fic, and I hope that it's a good one. The first chapter might seem like a Karin-centric, but that's only for the first few chapters. I think that in this situation, she would be the easiest to explain it through and would be clearer headed than Yuzu. Well, please no flames but criticism is appreciated. The English/grammar rules have changed so much, I can't keep up lol. Enjoy!

**Rating:** T but may change later.

**Warning:** Angst, language, violence, and gore. Flames are not accepted. Criticism is appreciated. If you don't like this fic, don't be a moron an keep reviewing and reading saying you don't like it. Move on with your meaningless lives and bug someone else who is willing to deal with it. 'kay? Thanks.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Bleach. If I did, Ichigo would be getting screwed by Renji and Grimmjow…_all the time._

**Summary:** After a near-fatal accident, Ichigo is left with no memories of being a Shinigami or Soul Society. Yamato decides to keep it that way as a sort of reward seeing as Sereitei is finally at peace despite many protests. Soon after, Ichigo and the remaining shards of the Hogyoku disappear followed by the discovery of a new and possibly worse threat than Aizen. How is Soul Society supposed to fight without their greatest warrior? A better question would be, how could they fight against him?

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*BLEACH*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**Prologue: Preparation **

"Ichi-nii, I have another football game on Thursday. We're goin against those punks that tried to fight us before and I want you to see us wipe the floor with them!" Karin exclaimed, pumping her fist in anticipation with an excited fire burning in her eyes.

Ichigo chuckled but nodded nonetheless. It'd kill some time to see his talented little sister kick the crap outta the other team, "Yeah, I'll definitely be there." Ichigo hesitated when the street crosswalk turned green, a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach making him feel a bit queasy. This feeling reminded him of…

"I'll be there too, Karin-chan!" Yuzu chirped happily, laughing and smiling as she held onto her brothers hand – the one that wasn't holding the vegetables for dinner later – as she carried a bag of groceries in the other, abruptly pulling the orange haired teen out of his thoughts.

Karin gave them a rare small smile, her dark eyes twinkling with gratitude and pride despite the sudden chill she felt crawl up her spine.

She held onto Ichigo's pant leg, still holding the bag that had her and Yuzu's secret gift for their brother's birthday next week. The poor boy thought it was 'girl stuff' and kept his nose out of it.

"Karin! Yuzu!" someone yelled in panic.

A loud shriek of tires was the only warning either sister got before they felt their brother hold them to his chest, wrapping his arms around them tightly, and soar through the air after a distinctive impact only to land painfully again.

Karin gasped as she felt the wind get knocked out of her, holding back tears when her body collide with her brothers as they crashed into the pavement. After the blinding pain receded to the point where she could open her eyes, she did and refused to believe what she saw.

She was still in Ichigo's tight grip, as was an unconscious Yuzu, and they were starting to get surrounded by a crowd of people.

Glancing up and down the street, she could see the car that was speeding had stopped with a man who started to cry hysterically, "I didn't mean to hit them! I swear I didn't mean to! I don't know what happened I swear! The car did it all on it's own, I-"

"Do you hear this guy? Says the car drove itself into those poor kids. Cuff 'im and get him outta my sight." One officer said in disgust.

Did…did they get hit by a car? Karin wondered why it didn't hurt as much as she thought a car accident would. As soon as she thought that, she regretted it after seeing her brother and sister.

Yuzu seemed fine besides her pale complexion and a small cut on her head, her small hands tightly grasping Ichigo's shirt. Her brows were furrowed in fear as the girl subconsciously tried to get closer to their brother for protection.

Then her sights landed on the orange haired teen.

Ichigo – her big, strong, goofy, dependable, stubborn, big-hearted, scowling, loving brother – was unconscious with a large gash on his forehead that bled so much, it nearly died his hair red and didn't seem like it would stop anytime soon without medical help. He looked pale as well, if not more so than Yuzu and his breathing seemed shallow and strained.

Slowly, she pulled herself out of his grasp, realizing he used his body as a shield for both the car and the ground, and was able to see the full extent of his injuries. They were quite a ways from the walkway and Ichigo's shirt was torn only to reveal more cuts and bleeding. They must've skidded a few feet because she could see blood trails from the front of the car and the asphalt behind her.

"Little girl…little girl! Are you alright?" she heard someone ask.

Karin brushed off the 'little girl' comment and wanted to snap at them and tell them, "No! My brother almost died trying to protect me and Yuzu from a car accident! I'm not alright you idiot!" But she didn't. She count comprehend that something like this – something only seen on T.V. – had happened to them.

Instead, she reached out to lightly shake her sisters shoulder. "Yuzu…" she whispered hoarsely. "Yuzu…wake up…come on, wake up…" she murmured quietly, timidly, completely unlike her normal demeanor.

When she received no reply, she turned to her brother whose eyes were tightly shut, no doubt from pain. "Ichi-nii…" she called, desperation leaking into her voice. "Ichi-nii, wake up!" She felt a hand on her shoulder but shook it off, using both hands to shake her brother awake, "Ichi-nii! Ichi-nii wake up! Please! Ichi-nii!" she yelled, tears burning her eyes when she, again, received no form of acknowledgment.

She grabbed his shirt and buried her face in his chest, subconsciously relieved to find a heart beat no matter how weak along with his familiar smell, and let the tears fall along with her panic.

"Ichi-nii!" she cried, trying to get closer to him and away from the people trying to take him away from her. "No! No, no, no! Ichi-nii, please wake up! Please…" Her heartfelt pleas were enough to get people to give her some space.

'_Get a hold of yourself Karin! Ichi-nii's gonna be fine…he's strong. He'll pull through! He's the guy that saved Rukia _and_ Soul Society _and_ defeated _Aizen_ for _Kami's sake_! He can handle some stupid little car!'_ an encouraging and chiding voice told her.

She felt a bit better, but still couldn't stop the flow of tears.

'_He needs help! Him and Yuzu!'_

That snapped her out of her grief-stricken and shocked daze.

Abruptly, she whirled around and started shouting almost hysterically, "Somebody call an ambulance!" She was relieved when she saw multiple people pulling out their phones and the flashing lights in the distance, but it still didn't quell the raging worry and fear.

'_If the cops are here, why is it taking so long to get a freaking ambulance?'_ she mentally screamed in frustration and annoyance. 'Why did it take me so long to call for one?'

Annoyance. That was good. Keep thinking of that. Annoyance was something she was familiar with, not the crushing weight of fear and panic and – no, don't go back to that train of thought. Concentrate on helping Yuzu and Ichigo and worry later.

Karin didn't have to wait long before the paramedics arrived and stabilized her brother and sister. She barely heard what they said or asked, merely staring at the still forms of her siblings, oblivious to the blanket draped over her shoulders.

"We're taking you three to the hospital, which ambulance do you want to ride in?" the young man asked. He was about thirty, young but his eyes revealed his experience. His tone was kind and didn't speak to her like a child. If he did she would've decked him and he would've needed an ambulance as well.

Shakily, she looked to Yuzu and Ichigo and noticed the younger of the two was starting to stir. "Yuzu. I'll go with Yuzu. She'll start to cry if me or Ichi-nii aren't there." She stated, receiving a nod from the paramedic. She desperately wanted to stay with both, but Ichi-nii wasn't waking up anytime soon, and Yuzu needed someone to be strong for them both.

He led her to the vehicle and made sure she was secure next to her sister and left to take care of some things. A moment later, large chocolate brown eyes opened blearily, confusion and fear etched onto the small girls features, "Onii-chan? Karin-chan? Where…?" she winced when the movement of her head aggravated her newly bandaged wound.

Karin grasped her hand and held it tightly, drawing the other girls attention, a worried expression on her face. Was Yuzu more injured that she looked? Was she going to be okay? What about Ichi-nii…?

"Karin-chan? Where am I and where's Onii-chan? What's going-"

"Shh, Yuzu. Calm down. We were in an accident. Ichi-nii protected us but we still got a little hurt. We're okay though and Ichi-nii is just riding in a different ambulance." Karin informed, keeping things clear but tried to be reassuring at the same time, like Ichigo when either girl was worried or scared.

Seeing the calm look on her twins face, Yuzu relaxed a bit but still alarmed about her brothers condition. "Okay…" she whispered, feeling extremely tired again. She drifted off to sleep with her brows furrowed.

Karin sighed deeply, feeling much too old for her age right then. She had the same questions she saw in her sister's eyes, questions that she didn't have answers to, which led to frustration which led to seeing her brothers broken body on the asphalt-

"Breathe."

Startled, Karin looked up, unconsciously losing the scowl that had crept onto her face and loosened the tightening grip on Yuzu's hand. She didn't even realize she was shaking until she did what he said and calmed down.

The same man from earlier smiled calmly, climbing into the car after reporting to the driver and calling the hospital. "You were starting to look a little tense. Just wanted to let you know your brother's on his way to the hospital and we're about to leave as well."

She nodded and looked down at her unoccupied hand, lost in thought. She was curious about her brothers condition, but did she really want to know? What if what she saw was as bad as his real condition?

The man checked over her sister carefully, making notes on some of the less noticeable scrapes and putting in an IV and antibiotics to fight any infection that may occur.

He sighed inaudibly, glancing at the two pre-teens again and hoping beyond hope that they would be able to pull through and that their beloved brother got better quickly.

Seeing the raw terror in the girls eye when she shrugged someone's hand off and started to cry into her brothers shirt was one of the most painful things he had to endure and hoped to never witness that again.

Girls that young shouldn't have to see something so horrible, especially when their brother was involved – he prayed for the poor soul that had to tell such a close-knit family the bad news…

As the ambulance left with a somewhat tense and gloomy aura, accompanied by several wailing police cars, Karin didn't notice a malevolent reiatsu flare before disappearing completely as if it were never there.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~BLEACH*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**Authors Note:** Okay, that was the first chapter! I probably wont be able to update much for the next week seeing as how I'm heading off to Korea for the summer, not to mention the homework I have to do for AP classes. Ugh. I'll try to update for those who enjoy this fic. It'll get better, promise! Things won't be as vague in the next chapter.

Oh and IDK about the whole ambulance/paramedic. I just wrote what I think they would do :P

P.S. How do I put in those line thingys? You know, the grayish lines that that some people use to separate their author's notes from the rest of the fic? I feel stupid for not knowing but it's killing me now lol. Some help is much appreciated!


	2. Chapter 1: Contemplation

**Author's Note:** Thank's so much for all of your awesome reviews! I didn't think I'd get such good feedback but I guess my writing wasn't as crappy as I thought. This chapter ism't may favorite for different reasons, but mainly because I think I'm being a bit redundant – but if that annoys you sorry, it just means I'm trying to get my point across. And I was wondering what kind of pairings you guys want. I already have UryuuxOrhihime but idk about the rest. I have a poll set up so let me know and if you have any suggestions, they would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again!

**Rating: **K+

**Warning:** Angst, possible revisions later

**Disclaimer:** Don't. Own. Bleach.

**Chapter Summary:** As Karin struggles to come to terms with what has happened - with her father's comfort - and Orihime tries to stay strong for her friends, Rukia and Renji notice something off with the whole 'evil reiatsu' situation. Why are the captains so cautious about this flare of spiritual energy?

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~BLEACH*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**Chapter One: Contemplation**

Karin opened her eyes groggily, sleep still heavy in her system. Her back and neck ached and her arms were asleep - things that people didn't normally experience after a nap at home. With a jolt, she sat up – regretting it immediately – and remembered what had transpired not a day ago.

Shaking her head as if to snap herself out of her sleep induced haze, the first thing she noticed was a warm and worn brown jacket much too big for herself sliding off her shoulders and pooling around her waist. _'Who…?'_

The second thing she noticed was the blinding white that surrounded her. White sheets invaded her vision along with white walls and the distinct smell of disinfectant and sick people. She wrinkled her nose in distaste.

Her father's clinic was way homier and always smelled of pine and Yuzu's home cooking.

Her eyes widened and looked up at the person who occupied the bed she had slept on.

'_Yuzu…'_

The girl was sleeping peacefully, her brow smooth and not furrowed in distress. She was still a bit pale, but had much more color than the pillow she lay on or the bandage around her head. Her chest moved up and down in an even pace, an IV sticking out of her thin looking arm.

Besides the frightening image of little Yuzu being devoured by her humongous bed and drowning in her sheets and hospital gown, she seemed perfectly fine. "Thank goodness." Karin whispered, mostly to herself so that she knew she wasn't dreaming.

Her hand snaked up to her sisters and grasped it lightly, receiving a small squeeze in return. She let a small, relieved smile curl her lips, her eyes softening as the other girl let out a contented sigh. Her twin seemed to know she was here, and both girls let an unknown tension seep out of them.

"Karin." Someone said quietly as if not to disturb the peaceful quiet surrounding the room.

She looked up, a bit startled, and nearly cried out in happiness at seeing her father – for once. "Dad." she replied, getting out of the seat to run to her father and – much to his surprise – wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face into his shirt.

It smelled like him, like pine and dirt and that familiar cologne mom picked out for him, something she found so immensely comforting. She felt the burn of tears coming to her eyes, but she didn't care.

"Daddy…" she whispered quietly, tears soaking through the mans' shirt.

Isshin merely looked down at her in shock before placing a large comforting hand on her head, petting her hair as her shoulders shook slightly.

'_My poor little girl…'_ he thought sadly, guilt eating away at him at an alarming pace. His little girls shouldn't have had to go through something like that. '_She's had to stay strong for so long…and to see Ichigo in such a state…'_

When he talked to the paramedic that rode with her earlier, he said that the girl seemed calm the entire time in the ambulance and in the hospital until she fell asleep at her sisters bed, if not a little tense.

Even when the doctor gave her a check-up to make sure there weren't any internal wounds and patched up little scratches here and there, she remained quiet and stoic.

Isshin expected that.

She was so like Ichigo, bottling up her emotions, her worries, so she wouldn't 'burden' anyone else. He just didn't expect her to cry so soon, if at all.

That only showed how truly scared she was, how hard this experience hit her fragile childlike reality. It didn't matter how old she acted, she was still not completely ready for the real world – for the world her brother and father faced everyday.

He kneeled down to her height, looking her in the eye, and without of his usual goofiness, said, "It's gonna be okay, Karin." while giving her a warm smile.

That was all the girl needed to hear before breaking out into fresh, relieved, and frightened tears, wrapping her arms around his neck tightly and hiding her face in his collar.

He sighed and wrapped his arms around his daughter, rubbing her back soothingly until she murmured _'Ichi-nii…'_ and went limp. He checked to see if she had fallen asleep and found her snoozing on his chest. He looked at his little girls face and sighed again, '_She's so tired…it's not wonder considering all that she's gone through.'_

With a wry smile, he stood up with her bridal style, and carried her to the waiting room where the rest of Ichigo's friends were.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~BLEACH*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Kuchiki Rukia, reporting from the real world, Ukitake-taichou." Rukia stated, bowing formally to her captain. The man nodded for her to continue, "While I was in the real world, a flare of evil reiatsu drew me to the center of town where a car accident had occurred. I checked the area but by the time I got there, there were too many people and the reiatsu vanished, not leaving a trace."

Ukitake nodded in approval. "Thank you Rukia." After a moment's pause, her furrowed his brows and asked curiosity, "And what is this 'car accident' you mentioned?"

Rukia cracked a small smile at her taichou's question, resisting the urge to laugh because at one time, she asked the same of Ichigo. "The real world has these machines called cars that are used as a means of transportation for humans, among other things."

Ukitake gave a thoughtful 'oh' of interest, intently listening to her explanation. Sentaro and Kiyone also listened from the door, curiosity eating away at them as well.

Rukia continued, "A car accident is when two or more of these machines collide, creating a fairly deadly explosion. They can range anywhere from a dent on either vehicle or possible fatalities. It could also be just one car hitting a human, causing serious injury and death."

The white haired captain furrowed his brows in worry, "You didn't sense any wandering souls when you investigated the strange reiatsu, did you?"

Rukia paused, going back over her exploration but didn't recall seeing a wandering soul, "No, Ukitake-taichou. I didn't see any souls but there was a rather large crowd of people so the accident must've been severe."

He nodded grimly but perked up and said, "Well, good job. I'll talk to the Tenth Division seeing as how Rangiku-san, Hitsugaya-taichou, and some Eleventh Division members want to visit Ichigo-kun and they'll carry on the investigation along side you. I'll also visit the Twelfth Division to see if they have anymore information or other reports."

Rukia raised an eyebrow at how cautious the taichou was being. Then again, since the Winter War and the cause of it ended, she couldn't blame him even if it was almost a year ago. "Hai, taichou." she bowed again.

He waved his hand and gave her a warm smile, "Go, go back to the real world. Say hi to Ichigo-kun and the rest for me."

She smiled back gratefully before departing, glad she could return so quickly. She had only been gone a few days, but it would be nice to relax a bit more in the real world. She furrowed her brows in thought though.

Why did it seem like her taichou was being overly cautious? They've had reports like this before but they were usually unusually strong hollows that were sneaky, like the Grand Fisher.

Before she could wonder further, she ran into a broad chest, causing her to lose her balance with an 'oof!'

An arm shot out to grab hers and pulled her back to her feet, "Watch where your-" she stopped when she saw a flash of bright red hair. "Renji!" she smacked him on the arm, earning a yelp of surprised before growling, "Idiot! Watch what you're going!"

Renji pouted at her, rubbing his arm more out of habit than actual pain and said, "Hey! You were the one that ran into me!" he looked at her closely, dodging another smack to the arm and said, "You seem pretty out of it. Got something on yer mind?"

Rukia sighed and rolled her eyes good naturedly, "I wasn't that out of it. It's just something my taichou is looking into a bit more in depth than usual I guess."

Renji raised a tattooed eyebrow at that and asked, "Was it somethin' about an evil reiatsu in the real world?"

Rukia's eyes widened in shock, "How do you know about that?"

He gave her a cheeky smirk, "Kuchiki-taichou told me about it and wanted me to go to the real world to investigate since I know the place best outta the entire squad." He nodded towards Ukitake-taichou's squad room, "Ukitake-taichou say the same?"

Rukia nodded, "Not in so many words. He just informed me that Hitsugaya-taichou, Matsumoto-fukutaichou, Madarame-san, Yumichika-san, and a few others are leaving for the human world as well to investigate. He said I could go back as well while he informs the Twelfth Division."

Renji whistled, "Whoa. Wonder what's got all the taichou's haori's in a bunch. Think it's somethin' bigger than they wanna share?"

Rukia sighed, a strange feeling of apprehension taking over as she ran a hand through her dark locks, "I don't know, but I suddenly have a very bad feeling somethings going to happen."

The redhead gave her a look that said 'that's not good' and nodded, "I was kinda thinking the same thing actually. Well, I'm sure we'll find something when we get over there. Wonder if Ichigo felt it too…" he said thoughtfully.

She snorted and said, "His reiatsu detection skills suck as much as yours even after all that training and winning the war. I think he could only feel when Zaraki-taichou's in town because of his bloodlust."

They both laughed at that and Renji said, "True, but it still wouldn't hurt ta ask. Let's get goin, I wanna spar with him a little bit. It's bin a while since I beat him."

Rukia shook her head ruefully at the redhead's antics as they walked to the Senkai Gate, but she couldn't quite get rid of the nagging worry in the back of her mind. Why were the Gotei 13 so suspicious of this malicious reiatsu? And why did she feel like something big was going to happen?

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~BLEACH*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Orihime almost tripped over own two feet for the nth time that day, rushing to get to the floor Ichigo was on, panic slowly eating away at her insides.

Was Kurosaki-kun going to be okay?

The day had started out just fine, if not a little strange. School was the same and no one seemed to act any differently than any other day.

The strange part was that there were no hollows out to play, but that could've been attributed to the fact that Aizen was now dead and Soul Society was keeping Hueco Mundo on lockdown. Hollows still slipped in so why was it so quiet…

Then again, none of those things seemed to have any connection to the car accident the orange haired boy was in.

They would've sensed if there was a hollow, and if it tried anything, she and her friends had no doubt he could take care of it with just a flick of his wrist. But still, it didn't have anything to do with the car running into…

And why would it? Just because no one acted differently, it didn't mean something could still happen, something out of their control – but it still bothered Orihime.

Was it because she still saw Ichigo as the super powerful Shinigami as she did in the Hueco Mundo and couldn't fathom the thought that a car of all things could take him down?

It was plausible, that something like this could shock her so badly til she was numb, that Kurosaki Ichigo of all people, would fall to…not a powerful hollow.

But…he was still human with human limitations – if his above average strength and fighting ability was disregarded. He was smarter, more cunning than he let on. He was pretty damn perceptive too…wait, where was this train of thought going?

Now frustrated with herself at her random thoughts that didn't really make sense, Orihime entered the elevator and pressed the 9 button. Good thing it was Uryuu's hospital otherwise getting such a high priority patients' information would've been difficult.

She tapped her foot nervously, her adrenaline still buzzing through her veins from running to the hospital and her worrying thoughts. Why was the elevator taking so long?

She sighed, trying to calm herself down. It wouldn't do any good to start panicking when everyone else was already on edge. After taking a deep breath, the ding of the elevator alerted her that she had reached her floor.

She stepped onto the floor, walking at a brisk pace to Ichigo's room, ignoring the cold, sterile smell of the hospital.

The sight of injured patients and those walking with IV's was enough to chill her to her bone, hoping that Ichigo wouldn't be in such a condition.

Maybe she was overreacting?

No, the tone of voice Ishida used when he called her was much too serious and concerned for Ichigo's injuries to be downplayed.

He wasn't a man of many words when it was unnecessary and tried to hide behind a cold façade, but she could hear the hitch in his voice, the small waver of uncertainty when he tried to reassure them both that the orange haired teen was okay.

She turned a corner and stopped. A few yards ahead of her, there were several occupied chairs, all with people she knew and who were close to the Kurosaki's.

Isshin was nowhere in sight, but Karin was sleeping fitfully across two chairs, her small shaking frame covered by her father's brown jacket. It broke her heart to see the girl in such a state. She must've been so distressed, seeing as how she was also in the accident and had to see her siblings so injured.

Chad was standing beside the girl, leaning on the wall with his large arms crossed over his broad chest. He was unwavering, unmoving, and stable, something she found comforting right now, but even she could see the crease in his brow, his eyes shut a bit more tightly than if he was just closing them. He was worried.

Keigo, surprisingly, sat still, slouching in one of the hospital chairs. His usual, bright enthusiasm was painfully tame and his glowing eyes were dimmed. She didn't realize how close Ichigo and Keigo were, but judging by how tight his grip on the armchair was, it was pretty close.

Mizuiro sat beside him, his usual flirtatious smile gone and replaced by one of slight anxiety. For once, his cell phone wasn't out, but the duo seemed to be helping eachother.

Tatsuki sat a chair away from Karin, her tough attitude simmered down to one of pain , anger – hopefully and probably not aimed at Ichigo himself – and complacence. Inoue couldn't blame her for taking this so hard – despite how they acted on the outside; she and the Kurosaki's were fairly close.

Orihime immediately went to Uryuu's side and held his hand, "Is he going to be okay? And what about Yuzu?" she whispered, trying not to disrupt the strange silence surrounding the group.

Ishida looked at her, startling her with the concern in his eyes, and said, "He's in surgery right now."

He was hesitant to say anything else, especially from seeing the flash of alarm in her eyes. The doctor had only told them a little before having to leave to actually operate on Ichigo – only an hour ago after his x-rays were taken and he was prepped for the operation.

"He's supposed to be out of surgery in four more hours. All they know now is that he as a punctured lung and a concussion along with a few lacerations on his back and arms."

"…and his sisters? Are Karin and Yuzu fine?" she suddenly felt terrible for not worrying about the girls earlier, the weight of the rock in her stomach suddenly growing from guilt.

Ishida gave a small smile, "They're fine. Yuzu has a minor concussion and a few scratches, but she'll be okay. Karin was conscious when the ambulance arrived and she was pretty shaken. She says Ichigo protected them from the car and impact of the ground and won't talk to anyone." he finished a bit sadly.

Inoue gasped as her eyes widened, her unshed tears finally spilling over. She didn't miss Ishida's slip, calling Ichigo by his first name. "Can't…can't I use my Soten Kisshun? I could heal him right away and he could-"

She stopped when Ishida shook his head forlornly. "He's already been admitted to the hospital. If we don't want to raise suspicion, you can't use your powers on him. Besides," he suddenly brightened a bit and squeezed her hand, "this is Kurosaki we're talking about. He's been through worse and he'll be fine. Once he gets bed rest you can do what you can."

Feeling a bit better from his words, Inoue nodded and pecked him on the cheek, giving his hand a small squeeze, before walking over to the others. She quickly wiped away the tears, knowing that crying would do nothing to help the situation.

Ishida watched her walk towards the others, feeling the weight of his words. What if Kurosaki wasn't fine? They had said the concussion was severe…what if he was diagnosed with brain damage or worse?

Despite his constant claims that he wanted nothing to do with Shinigami, Ishida knew that Ichigo was more than a Shinigami. He was a hero and his nakama.

Chad stood as a silent, protective guard, his arms crossed and his eyes shut. She could feel his worry for his best friend, the person that gave him to ability to save lives and fight to protect.

He had different types of silences, most of which the group was able to decipher after spending so much time together. Ichigo was the best at guessing how his friend felt, but they had an inkling of what the gentle giant felt. He was fine. As long as Ichigo was in good hands, he would stay by his side and stay strong. The tall man nodded in greeting when she waved and walked by.

Her best friend Tatsuki, on the other hand, seemed to have spaced out in the hospital chair she was sitting in. She was hunched over, her elbows resting on her knees and wringing her hands. "Tatsuki-chan." Orihime greeted, happy to see that her voice didn't crack and was able to get the karate fighter out of her trance.

Said girl looked up in a bit of a daze before shaking her head and giving a small smile, "Hey Orihime." She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, her shoulders trembling slightly, "He's in surgery now…they said that he had a punctured lung and a concussion with some cuts but they couldn't say much else." she informed.

Orihime froze for a second after hearing that. Ishida had told her but it made it more painfully real after hearing someone else – someone who hadn't seen war and wasn't used to such injuries – explain. She sat down next to her friend, laying a reassuring hand on her shoulder, "He's gonna be okay, Tatsuki-chan. It's Kurosaki-kun after all."

Tatsuki glanced at her, giving her a doubtful look, before sighing and nodding reluctantly. "Yeah, I guess. It's just…I don't know, hard to accept."

Orihime nodded, understanding how she was feeling. That was how she felt earlier, "Yeah, it's strange, but we need to believe he'll pull through, just like all the other times."

Tatsuki gave a shaky smile, "Thanks Orihime. I guess it's a bit harder for me cause when I think of Ichigo all I can see is a little orange-haired crybaby that couldn't throw a punch to save his life."

They both laughed quietly. Inoue nodded and gave a small smile, still a bit worried about how pale and scared Tatsuki looked. She had never seen her strong friend look so…frail and tired before and it was a bit disconcerting.

She just hoped Ichigo would be fine.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~BLEACH*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**Author's Note:** Okay, so this chapter turned out about 1,500 words longer than I thought xD oh well, I hope it makes you happy. The only part of this chapter I really like is the Karin and Isshin part and the Soul Society part. I don't really like orihime that much but I decided 'What the heck?' so yeah. I think I have a lot of mistakes in this one but I'm too lazy to read over it for the thousandth time and I hope you understand. Im still recovering from jet lag, especially with a 13 hour time difference, so my sleeping habits are a bit out of whack. Remember the poll and see what couples you want!

PS Ill try to make these updates weekly, but it'll be a little hard, so please bare with me. Thank you awesome readers!


	3. Author's Note 1

**Author's Note:** Sorry, this isn't an update! I just wanted to let everyone know – well, those who are interested – that the poll is up and you can choose up to 4 pairings (there are a lot of different characters btw lol). Now, I need to know soon because whoever is with Ichigo, if he isn't alone, will have some impact on the story and possibly the ending,

Also, even though it hasn't even been like 3 days, I won't be able to get a chapter up for another week because 1. I don't have a solid idea (sweatdrop) 2. I'm starting to get a lot busier 3. I might be writing another story, an IchigoxTatsuki fic

4. I need some pairing ideas, just so I can start slipping in little hints. Should there also be drama? Up to you, you can tell me in a review. I've already got some great ideas from other reviews that are now up on the poll but I just need a more solid idea.

I know this is a bit early and your thinking 'wtf?', I just wanted to let you guys know whats goin on.

I'll try not to turn into one of those authors that takes months to update one chapter (been there, done that) or just completely leaves their readers hanging (sweatdrop. Again, been there, done that). Just please be patient until I get my thoughts together.

I love you all! Your Reviews/StoryFaves/StoryAlerts/AuthorFaves/AuthorAlerts really inspire me to do better!

Chow! ;P


	4. Chapter 2: Mystification

**Author's Note:** Hey guys, thanks for the great feedback on my last author's note. Like I said, I just wanted to keep you guys updated. BTW sorry I said this wouldn't come out for another week cause I kinda typed this in two days after a day of brainstorming xD! Sorry if I mislead you, but I hope this is a happy surprise! THE DRAMA INTENSIFIES!

**Rating:** K+ or T

**Warning:** Angst, sadness, drama, blah blah blah, nothing big this time. Possible revisions later.

**Disclaimer:** This is the last time I'm putting this up, I DON'T OWN BLEACH! IF I DID, ICHIGO WOULD BE ****** ALL THE TIME! YES, I PUT THE STARS THERE BECAUSE IT"S TRUE!

**Chapter Summary:** Familiar Shinigami arrive from Soul Society to start their investigation as Isshin and Ichigo's friends try to stay strong, but will the doctor's news give them the strength to go on, or cause them to completely crumble?

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~BLEACH*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**Chapter Two: Mystification**

"Is it done?"

"Yes, master."

"Good. Now things will start to get interesting."

"…yes, master."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~BLEACH*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Isshin took a deep, shuddering breath, leaning heavily on the hospital sink as he tried to rein the many torrid emotions within him.

With his eyes squeezed shut, he tried to push back the image of a bloody and unconscious Ichigo being wheeled into the ICU room and the sight of his daughters, pale and scared.

He knew Ichigo had gone through worse, but…it was different in his human body. Ichigo was nearly unstoppable when in Shinigami form, that much Isshin could admit, but when he was human, the boy was so vulnerable it scared the man.

The eldest Kurosaki always worried about the boy, whether or not a large gang would bring him down or he would run into a hollow without his friends or his Shinigami badge. There were too many scenario's in the man's head, but it was strange and bewildering that a car of all things would take down his son. It was just so…_normal._

While at the clinic, he felt his son's reiatsu spike before dropping dangerously to the point where it was difficult to find. That was what warned him ten minutes before he received the call that would always replay in his mind.

"_Kurosaki Isshin-san?"_

"_Yes, that's me."_

"_Are your children's names Kurosaki Ichigo, Kurosaki Karin, and Kurosaki Yuzu?"_

_Dread filled his entire body. "Yes, why? Are they all right? What's happened?"_

"_Please calm down Kurosaki-san. It seems your children have been in an accident and we need you to come to the hospital to fill out a surgery form. Karin-san and Yuzu-san are stable…_

_Oh God…_

"…_but Kurosaki Ichigo is in critical condition."_

That was when he dropped the phone and fell to his knees in shock. Just as quickly, he jumped in the car and sped towards the main hospital in Karakura town.

Now here he was, hiding out in the bathroom like a coward. He couldn't face Ichigo's friends when he felt and looked so broken. He turned and splashed cold water on his face to wake himself up from this horrible nightmare, but it didn't work.

He rubbed his face tiredly and concentrated on his son's reiatsu. There was something strange about, something that he noticed when the accident first occurred. It was still Ichigos but it felt…tainted somehow. Not the way it felt when he used his inner hollow either.

That…and it was frighteningly weak.

The boys reiatsu was so _low_ right now…it was like that of a mere humans. Isshin was sure that his friends noticed – if they weren't too distressed. Maybe he should ask them? Or wait for Soul Society? Was it being suppressed by something? He shook his head.

That could come at another time. Right now, his daughters needed him.

He straightened up and fixed his wrinkled clothes, noticing with mild alarm that Ichigo had been in surgery for another two hours now. Why did time feel like it was passing him by when in reality, it should've slowed down painfully?

He left the men's bathroom and saw that all of Ichigo's friends were still there, the sight of such loyalty for his son making his heart swell with pride and happiness. It was a relief to know Ichigo had such good friends with him – the fact that they cared so much and were so protective eased the worry in his heart a bit.

As he got closer, he could see the exhaustion and concern on all their faces – it startled him a bit to realize that they looked so much older than the last time he had seen them, like their naïveté was almost erased.

Isshin cleared his throat and gave them the brightest smile he could muster even if it felt wrong on his face, "You guys can go home. Ichigo's gonna be in surgery for another hour and afterwards he won't be able to have any visitors."

A flare of defiance met his suggestion when Ishida coolly replied, "We're fine, Kurosaki-san. We'll wait for the doctors to let us know his condition and we'll visit tomorrow as well." Everyone agreed.

He sighed at how stubborn Ichigo's friends were and dropped his fake smile, "Uryuu, its almost midnight. All of you have school tomorrow and I'll be damned before I get calls from your families telling me that I kept you all up too late for school on top of all this."

They were taken aback by his serious, no nonsense tone – which was typically uncharacteristic of him – but the shock quickly wore off. He internally winced when he received cold glares and shamed looks and almost felt bad. Almost. Unfortunately, it seemed to be the only thing that would work on them.

The eldest Kurosaki knew some had no families, but the fact that their missing school would burden him got them to finally agree to leave in the next half hour.

Isshin had no doubt in the youth's abilities and knew they've gone without sleep for nights at a time, but he'd rather not chance it. It wasn't just their sleeping habits he was worried about, but the fact that they would be even more exhausted tomorrow.

If they were too tired worrying over Ichigo, then who would be able to take out hollows effectively? Besides, he didn't know when Soul Society would send a decent Shinigami to investigate that horrible reiatsu that flared before the accident.

Oh, he had seen that afro guy many times and knew the lower Shinigami couldn't tell a zanpakutou's blade from it's hilt.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~BLEACH*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"God I hate these things!" Renji grumbled, rolling his shoulder after getting into his gigai. Ikkaku grunted in agreement next to him, picking up his wooden sword and slipping it through his belt.

Toshirou sighed as Rukia chided, "Stop complaining Renji. You'll get used to it." After hearing him grumble 'whatever', she turned to the Tenth Division Captain, "Hitsugaya-taichou, how are we going to carry out this investigation?"

Said captain thought about it for a moment and coolly replied, "For now, we need to go to the areas where the reiatsu was reported. We'll have to go on from there and wait for the Twelfth Division's findings so we'll need places to stay again." The young captain didn't seem too happy about that but it needed to be done.

Yumichika tossed his hair over his shoulder glamorously with a hand on his hip, "We must get rid of that ugly reiatsu."

"Hey taichou, will you let us in on why this investigation is so important?" Rangiku asked, pouting and giving the young prodigy the puppy dog eyes.

Toshirou sighed aggravatedly. This was the fifteenth time his lieutenant asked him the same question and was met with the same answer, "No, Matsumoto. Not until we get more information, nothing can be disclosed to those lower than the rank of Taichou. All you need to know is that this is important and that you need to do your duties."

His reply was met with grumbles and sighs, but they were ignored.

Rukia nodded and was about to say something before a puzzled look replaced her usual schooled expression. Renji poked her, earning him a harsh smack to the hand, and murmured, "Where's Ichigo?" almost as if she were in a trance.

A bit startled by her question, the shinigami present concentrated of their comrades reiatsu…only to find nothing definitive. Even the thin layer of his reiatsu that usually cloaked Karakura town was gone.

Toshirou narrowed his eyes while everyone stood in a sort of stunned and confused silence. The substitute shinigami wouldn't be out of town, not at a time like this, and that still wouldn't explain why every trace of his spirit energy was gone. Stretching out his senses to the max, it took a moment for the captain to find him…"He's at a human facility called a…hospital?"

His gaze turned to Rukia who had paled considerably. When the rest wondered why she was so shaken, she quietly explained, "A hospital is much like the Fourth Division Relief Center's in Sereitei and since we can barely feely his reiatsu…"

"Don't come to any unnecessary conclusions yet, Kuchiki-san." Toshirou said, fighting back the suspicious feeling of…worry? He shook it off, "For all we know he could've received a reiatsu suppressing device from Urahara-san or finished training and is visiting a friend in the hospital."

His reasoning was plausible, but it didn't help quell the feeling of foreboding rising in them. Renji forcefully joked, "Bastard probably got his ass kicked or something and jus doesn't want us to know about it."

Rangiku tilted her head and pouted slightly, "I hope Ichigo is alright."

Hitsugaya-taichou sighed and said, "We should go and check if he's injured or not. We can't lose a shinigami like him before the war starts." The group of shinigami nodded in agreement as all six made their way to Ichigo's bleak reiatsu signature.

Urahara stepped out of the shadows, his fan covering the lower part of his face while the hat covered his eyes, "I surely hope you will be ready for what you see. Something is about to happen and I believe Kurosaki-san is in the middle of it all."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~BLEACH*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

When Ichigo's group of friends were about to, reluctantly, leave the waiting lobby outside of the operation room, an approaching figure caught their attention.

A haggard looking doctor, short with messy sandy hair and green eyes, hurried to the lobby with a slightly alarmed and unhappy look on his face. The group froze in their tracks, a feeling of dread overcoming the entire lobby. "Kurosaki-san."

Isshin brushed past Chad and Ishida, "Yes, that's me." He didn't like the way the doctor hesitated to look him in the eye.

"Your son's surgery was a success. We found a few other injuries but overall he will make a complete recovery." He stated carefully, earning tears of joy and relieved sighs, "but there was a complication when he was being bandaged up."

Isshin felt his stomach drop, ignoring the hitch in Inoue's breath or the gasps of disbelief from the rest. "What do you mean there were 'complications'? What kind of complications?" he heard how harsh he sounded, but he didn't care.

The doctor's eyes – Isshin dimly remembered his name was Kuroboshi-something – softened with sympathy, something the father didn't want or need.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~BLEACH*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Karin groaned as she woke up uncomfortably again. She cracked her eyes open, a bit relieved to see no blinding white in her vision and sat up, the brown jacket once again sipping off her shoulders.

She stretched and was pleased to hear multiple pops in her joints. With everything going on, she still felt fatigued, but she was sure she could last at least a few more hours – visiting Yuzu and Ichi-nii – before sleeping for real.

She caught sight of a group of people – Ichigo's friends? – all gathered around a slightly nervous but sad looking doctor. He seemed to be telling them something.

Was it about Ichi-nii's condition?

She hopped down from the uncomfortable hospital chair and crept closer, surprised no one had noticed her approach. She got within hearing range but a flash of off-white, almost silver, caught her attention. Looking around the large figure of Chad, she saw…was that Toushiro?

A smile tugged at her lips for the first time in what seemed like forever, and it only increased at the sight of Rukia, the red pineapple, a large chested woman, a bald guy, and a feminine looking male coming down the hallway. She'd seen them with Ichi-nii before too and they seemed to be on good terms.

She raised her hand to greet them as they got within hearing range, but the next few words shattered her world and made time freeze.

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid you son Kurosaki Ichigo has slipped into a coma."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~BLEACH*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**Author's Note:** GASP! Oh no I di'int! XDXDXDXD! How can it get any more dramatic or cliché? How many people saw this coming? Raise your hands. (Doesn't raise hand). That's right, I didn't even know Ichigo was gonna be in a coma before it typed itself lmao! Don't kill me! And if you don't like that it's cliché, too bad, I like it and it fits well for what's happening next. I still can't believe I did that lol. But I almost guarantee you wont know what's gonna happen next! Almost. Some of you could be psychic xD

I have a vague idea for pairings but your polls would really help!

Oh and sorry if there are any grammatical errors or if I spelled any names or anything wrong. I got kind of excited while writing this xD. And I know there are a lot of line breaks, but it wont happen that often. Your support makes me smile!


	5. Chapter 3: Reaction

**Author's Note:** Thank you all for your patience and feedback! I'm very happy that you guys like the story and sorry for holding out on you guys lol. BTW this is gonna be really angsty, in my opinion, and I think you'll like how this turned out. There are a few parts that are drawn out and probably boring, but it's important cause I want to emphasize how much of an impact Ichigo has on many people's lives.

**Rating:** K+ or T

**Warning**: Angst, lots of it. A few curse words and some blood. Nothin you can't handle.

**Chapter Summary:** With Ichigo's condition revealed, the many reactions that vary from disbelief and denial, to utter anguish and anger. How will Ichigo's friends cope when he is in such a condition? And before the Winter War no less! What the hell's goin on with that freaky reiatsu?

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~BLEACH*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**Chapter Three: Reaction**

'_I'm sorry, but I'm afraid your son Kurosaki Ichigo has slipped into a coma…'_

'_I'm sorry…your son…slipped into a coma…'_

'_Your son…Ichigo…in a coma…'_

Isshin felt like someone had knocked the breath out of him, squeezed his lungs, and ripped out his heart all at once. He felt himself stumble backwards but a pair of strong hands was able to stop him from completely collapsing.

Isshin could only stare at the doctor's sympathetic and worried eyes with shock and complete and utter disbelief.

Coma? His son…his and Masaki's son…Ichigo, _Kurosaki Ichigo_…in a coma? That…that couldn't be...

He vaguely heard Orihime break out into fresh, pained tears, barely saw Chad almost crumble, hardly noticed Ishida's heart seize. From the corner of his eye he become aware of a group of shinigami that stop in their tracks with varying expressions of shock and denial.

This couldn't be happening. His son couldn't be in a…coma.

The sound of Orihime's cry brought the eldest Kurosaki out of his daze, "Karin-chan!"

Using his centuries of experience, Isshin pushed back all of his grief, his shock, his guilt, his fear, and hardened his eyes. He abruptly turned around to see Chad cradling Karin in his arms carefully, his brown eyes concentrating on the girls frail form. "She fainted behind me. I'm sorry, I couldn't catch her."

Chad's deep voice was filled with more than just sorrow and the eldest Kurosaki had an inkling that he meant more than just not catching Karin when he apologized.

Isshin nodded stepped closer and without further ado, the gentle giant carefully placed Ichigo's sister in the mans arms. He looked at his daughter's face with a sad smile and held her close to his chest, "Kuroboshi-san, is it alright if I place Karin with Yuzu in her bed? I'm sure they can both use the support."

The doctor looked upon the heartbroken group sadly and nodded, "As soon as your done, I'd like to speak with you in private." When the man nodded, the doctor pushed his small glasses up the bridge of his nose and scurried out of the room back to his patient.

Isshin left for Karin's room, leaving behind Ichigo's friends and a deafening silence. The quiet was only broken by Inoue's broken sobs, muffled by Ishida's shoulder. She clung to him like a lifeline, heartbreak eating away at her painfully.

Ishida was no better, his eyes squeezed shut and holding onto Inoue just as tightly, desperately. He buried his face in her hair, seeking solace in her peach scented hair and hiding his grimace at the horrible, unwanted news. _You better wake up, Kurosaki_.

Chad had to sit down before he fell over, his elbows resting on his knees as he looked down at the tiled floor, his bangs covering his sorrowful eyes. He couldn't protect his best friend, the first person to accept him.

He realized that this was not his fault, that he had no control over what happened to Ichigo, but that seemed to bring more agony than comfort. Their promise rang through his head, the familiar feeling of the medallion around his neck weighing heavily on his chest. '_We'll fight for each other.'_

"Is it true?" an unsteady voice asked, the icy tone almost but not completely covering the heartbreak, the fear beneath it. The group was startled at the interruption, the grief filled silence finally broken.

"Rukia-san." Inoue gasped, her surprised taking over her woe for a moment.

The petite woman didn't look at them, her bangs covering her eyes and her fists clenched at her sides, "Is. It. True?" she bit out again, this time the impatient anger making her cold tone even more unpleasant.

"Yes." Surprisingly, it was Chad that answered, once again standing almost protectively.

Renji tried to smile, a broken smile that had false hope and tired to play off the freezing aura surrounding the group, "You're kidding right? I mean, he can't seriously-"

"Yes, Abarai-san. It's true. Kurosaki is in a coma." The words were almost as painful as his biting tone and Renji had to keep himself from flinching. The Quincy's glasses glinted almost dangerously in the fluorescent light.

The redhead clenched his own fists, growling lowly in his throat. Before he could say anything, Rukia placed a trembling hand on his hand to stop him. He was about to snap at her but seeing her look so pained and…broken…all his anger evaporated in that instant and he felt his own heartache start to grow.

His shoulders slumped and grabbed her hand instead to help support her and himself. Seeing her so pale and almost catatonic, it scared him almost as much as the news of Ichigo's condition.

Ishida was still tense, almost as if he wanted a fight to release all the pent up frustration. "Uryuu." Inoue reprimanded, despite her sadness. Almost immediately, Ishida's own shoulders fell and he held her close to his chest again silently. Inoue understood his silence and hugged back.

"Fuck this." Ikkaku growled, grabbing his wooden sword and turned on his heel to leave.

Toshiro, who had been quiet the entire time, turned sharply and demanded, "Where are you going Madarame-san?"

Ikkaku never stopped in his stride, even as he answered his superior's question, "Where do ya think? I'm gonna kill some hollows unlike some weak bastard that's _in a coma_." he spat, his grip tightening on the hilt.

Toshiro sighed but decided not to stop him. The man's fluctuating reiatsu was enough to tell him he was suffering as well from this development.

Yumichika faced Ichigo's closest friends and bowed slightly with a serious expression, catching some off guard. "I apologize for his ugly behavior. It's his way of dealing with news he doesn't like. Excuse me." The effeminate man strode away and after his friend.

The young captain glanced at Ichigo's nakama, his eyes softening at the sight of them. Sighing to himself, he decided to keep his questions for the time being, knowing that with their frayed nerves, any other triggers could lead to pointless fights. They didn't need that right now and he still needed to contact Soul Society about this unexpected development – especially about the Substitute Shingami's reiatsu, or lack of.

"Come Matsumoto, we should leave." He cast one last glance at the three, led by Ichigo himself, who infiltrated Sereitei without being caught til the very end. His hard expression softened ever so slightly. _You better recover, Kurosaki. More than just Soul Society is counting on you._

The woman – she hid her smile when she saw his face – nodded silently, giving a reassuring smile in the groups direction, and followed after her retreating captain. She hoped Ichigo would be all right and knew her captain felt the same.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~BLEACH*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Isshin sighed tiredly, rubbing his face with his hand. God, how could things get any worse? He shook the thought out of head, not wanting to risk jinxing anything or bring bad luck.

He sighed again, sitting in the uncomfortable hospital chair with a miserable expression. He was relieved to hear that Karin hadn't injured herself when she fainted – no doubt from exhaustion and the news about her big brother – and Yuzu was going to be fine. She might be a little disoriented when she woke up but that would be normal.

The thought of Yuzu and telling her about Ichigo's condition…god, he could feel his heart clench painfully already. She would cry a lot and he didn't think he could handle seeing all three of his children broken either physically or emotionally.

But still, he couldn't help but feel a bit proud of Ichigo and thankful. Because of him, the girls were all right, they weren't hurt, just scared. _They have a great big brother_, he thought fondly, _and I have a great son._

"_Kurosaki Isshin-san?" a nurse asked quietly, her kind eyes easing Isshin for a moment._

_The man nodded as he lay his little girl next to his other sweet daughter. "That's me." He whispered, brushing the girls bangs out of their faces lovingly. He smiled a bit when they leaned into his touch and held onto each other a little tighter, a little more securely._

_The woman smiled and said, "Yuzu-chan and Karin-chan are going to be just fine. Yuzu might have a small headache when she wakes up but it's a miracle compared to what could have happened." When the man was silent, she continued quietly, "Your son is very brave and a very good brother. If he hadn't done what he did, all three would be in much worse shape." _

"_Yeah…he really is a great man." He whispered, more to himself than anyone else, still looking at his daughters' peaceful faces. The woman excused herself and left a little afterward._

He wondered why the nurse told him that. If it were anyone else, they would've broken down and felt even more insecure, but her words were surprisingly comforting.

_He's more like his mother than he thinks_, Isshin thought with a bittersweet smile.

"Isshin-san?" Kuroboshi asked, poking his head into the room cautiously so he wouldn't disturb the two slumbering girls latched onto each other.

The man called looked up, his red rimmed eyes locked onto the doctors. "Yes?" he asked.

It was disheartening to see such a strong, energetic man reduced to someone so tired. Kuroboshi knew the man, worked with him a few times when he was called in to help when the staff was stretched out. Isshin was always so lively and active and his patients loved his goofiness, but the doctor saw none of that now. "I would like to speak with you about Ichigo-san's condition and to fill out some more paperwork."

Isshin's eyes flashed in anger, wanting to yell at the doctor that he already made his point clear. His _son_ was in a _coma_, plain and simple, and he couldn't do _anything_ about it.

Abruptly, the anger washed away when rationality caught up with him and his stomach flipped from nervousness – something he hadn't felt since he asked Masaki out for their first date. He took a deep breath and nodded, following the doctor to his office, praying to the Spirit King that his son would be all right.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~BLEACH*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"What happened?" Rukia asked, finally able to compose herself while keeping a tight grip on her childhood friends' hand. She looked at the tired teenagers that sat across from her and noticed how much older they looked.

"K-Kurosaki-kun…h-he-" Inoue cut herself off, unable to get anymore words out while recalling the devastating news from earlier. She buried her face in Ishida's chest and started to cry again, the Quincy rubbing her back consolingly.

He sighed, forcing back a stress headache and continued, "Kurosaki was in a car accident this afternoon-" he paused when he saw the midnight haired Shinigami stiffen.

"That baka got hit by a car? How?" Renji asked, disbelief coloring his tone. Not for the first time, Rukia was struck by how alike Renji and Ichigo were, though the latter seemed to be a bit less crude.

That got a strong reaction from Orihime, "He's not a baka! He protected his sisters from getting him by that car and if he didn't they…they-" she started to hiccup and let Ishida continue, not yet sorry for making the red head feel bad.

"If Ichigo hadn't used himself as a shield, you would probably be performing a few soul burials." He finished coldly, his silent accusation causing Renji to look away.

A tense silence followed before Chad broke it, "Isn't there anything Soul Society can do?" he asked, his warm voice echoed with pain.

Rukia was stunned out of her depressing silence, but after a moment, shook her head sadly, "No. When a human slips into a coma, their soul is in a sort of limbo. They could go one way or another which is out of a Shinigami's jurisdiction. It's up to the soul whether to leave the body or not."

Ishida snorted, "Another thing shinigami can't do." He received harsh glares from both shinigami present but shrugged it off until a tight grip on his hand caused him to look down at Inoue's scolding grey eyes and he immediately calmed down. "Sorry." He murmured, earning nods of understanding.

"What about my Soten Kisshun? Would that help?" Orihime asked, a glimmer of hope present in her tone.

Rukia shook her head sadly, "It depends on what kind of coma he's in. If it were purely physical, then maybe, but there are certain times when their mind and soul are damaged as well."

Inoue nodded, resting her head against Ishida's shoulder, her red eyes drooping tiredly. "We should go home like Kurosaki-san said. We made a promise to him and having us here will only add unneeded stress." Ishida informed, earning reluctant nods from his companions.

Rukia barely heard him, looking down at her hands thoughtfully. She should have come earlier…when she heard about the accident she should've felt his reiatsu and went to check on him. She felt a reassuring squeeze on her hand and looked up to see Renji's worried eyes, not just for Ichigo. "Hey, this ain't your fault. Don't beat yourself up for nothin."

She smiled a bit and nodded, feeling a bit guilty that she only thought about herself. Renji must be in pain as well. Although it didn't show, the red pineapple and orange strawberry were closer than others thought – maybe even best shinigami friends. _More like annoying brothers_, she mused tiredly.

As they were about to leave Ishida said, "I recommend you two do the same. You may not need to go to school but I believe Kurosaki's father doesn't need two shinigami breathing down his neck."

Renji gave him a half-hearted glare, earning a half-hearted smirk in return.

Slowly, Ichigo's group and Rukia and Renji left, parting their separate ways. They were surprised at how dark out it was…how long were they here, worrying about their friend and hero?

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~BLEACH*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Renji and Rukia arrived at Urahara's Shoten, the weight of the day finally setting on their shoulders – and with slight alarm noticed a cracked, bloody wall beside the small shop. As they entered, they saw Urahara waiting for them with his infamous hat and cane. "I see you two were busy." He mused teasingly, eying their linked hands.

Both immediately jumped away from each other, faces red and spluttering, "It's not…we aren't…it isn't-" They stopped when he waved his fan dismissively, his eyes twinkling with mirth.

"Yare yare, so defensive." His eyes suddenly sharpened and all amusement left his figure, putting the couple on edge. "Soul Society as sent us some…interesting news. I suggest you two follow me where the rest of your group is." He said, his near steely voice reminding them that they were in the presence of an ex-captain.

They went to the back where Hitsugaya-taichou, Matsumoto, Ikkaku, and Yumichika sat in a tense and contemplative silence. "What's happened?" Rukia asked, regaining her composure.

Ignoring her question, Toshiro asked, "How's Kurosaki?"

A bit caught off guard at the question and – was that concern in the captains voice? – a little angry at the reminder, she coldly replied, "The same as earlier." When the captain nodded absentmindedly, she asked again will a bit less frost, "What's happened?" she was really getting tired of repeating herself.

The captain looked at her with a look in his eye that made her freeze – no pun intended – in place, a chill going down her spine – again, no pun intended. Something was up. "We've received a report from Sereitei and someone has stolen some important, _top secret _documents, but we don't know how it's related to the reiatsu signature that's been popping up."

Reiatsu…? She suddenly remembered the reason why they came. "What documents?" she asked quietly, not liking where this conversation was goin.

Rangiku clenched her fist, "That's not all. They've found something even more vital and dangerous. Something that was created using the information on those documents."

Ikkaku snorted angrily, "They found somethin alright." Rukia saw that he had bandages on his hands, blood bleeding though around his knuckles. Did he do that to the wall outside?

Renji stepped up, his patience thinning and his nerves snapping, "What did they find Hitsugaya-taichou?"

The captain looked up and, with an expression much too old for his youthful face, said in a grave tone, "Someone used the stolen files and created a copy of the Hogyoku."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~BLEACH*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**Author's Note:** OMG ANOTHER CLIFFIE! LMAO! Sorry, had to do it. I'm just droppin bomb after bomb on you guys, huh? Well, I think it's interesting. Hope you like how this is turning out and thanks for your awesome reviews. I hope you RenjixRukia fans liked the little hand holding thing! And BTW Ikkaku beat up the wall out of frustration because Ichigo is in a coma. How sweet, huh? I hope you guys like everyones reaction.

Poll is still up! There will be confusion and drama between pairing so even if I have them set, it doesn't mean there wont be some confusion and heartache before the couples realize their meant for eachother! And I still need someone/no one for ICHIGO!

Wait til the school hears about Ichigo's heroism! I can't! And I hope you like the story, it's getting more compicated. Strange reiatsu, Hogyoku clone, and Ichigo's lack of reiatsu. What's goin on? LOL! I DON'T EVEN KNOW! Sorry if there are any mistakes! I kinda did this in one day after coming up with no ideas for the past week lol.


	6. Chapter 4: Contradiction

**Author's Note**:…IM SORRY! I know I'm a horrible, horrible author and I don't deserve to have such great readers and reviewers like you! I don't even have an excuse. I feel that you, as the patient audience, should not have to deal with lies so I'll just come out and say…I got lazy. Yes, yes, I'm terrible but it's the truth at least. I'm not going to rant on and on about this and that, I was lazy. Quick. Simple. To the point. Lazy. Period. I understand if you want to choke me to death or some other slow, gruesome, torturious way to end my days, but wait until the story is over (which thankfully for me, is a long while lol).

I hope some can understand or sypathize. I'm still trying to figure out my plot, how long this story will be, and what its content will be. Honestly, I started this on whim but I'm determined to finish it. Here's the next chapter. It's a bit longer, not my longest by a long shot, but it's better than nothing.

This might be a crappy chapter, mainly filling and may have quite a few grammatical errors. I know you still love me ;P! …right?

**Rating:** T

**Warning**: MAJOR ANGST, some swearing, slight violence, slight gore.

**Chapter Summary:** Ichigo's closest friends and family are still dealing with the crippling news, torn by horror and hope. It's all up to Ichigo now, but how are the closest people to him holding up? And what's this? There isn't a copy of the hogyoku…yet. With everything happening, even Soul Society is feeling the pressure.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~BLEACH*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**Chapter Four: Contradiction**

Sometime during the night – more like wee hours of the morning, Karin groggily woke to the sound of quiet…what? It sounded like…crying. Her eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness and saw that her sister, Yuzu, was still asleep, still blissfully unaware. For a moment she felt almost envious.

It just felt so unfair!

_She_ didn't see their big brother bleeding on the hard, unforgiving ground. _She_ didn't witness his friends, some of the strongest people she knew – inside and out – break and cry in what seemed to be defeat. _She_ didn't hear the horrifying news of their brother's current condition. _She_ didn't feel the guilt and fear gnawing at her very being.

Just as quickly as that thought came, it went, leaving behind surprise and guilt. How could she think that? Yuzu didn't deserve nor need that kind of negative thought in her sisters head. Kami, her emotions were going haywire.

Slowly, her attention was drawn to the sound of crying again and was almost tempted to fall asleep again. She didn't want to see any more tears from anyone when knew she would have to prepare for Yuzu's inevitable breakdown.

Instead, she carefully turned her head, mindful of her sister's IV and the tangled sheets that might wake her, and could only feel the shattered pieces of her sanity and heart break a little more.

Her father, their goofy, happy, cheery, smiling, never down, strong, loving, adoring, persistent, patient, careful, funny, endearing father sat in the hospital chair next to the bed…crying. Invisible tears rolled down his cheeks even as e tried to wipe them away in vain.

Karin was awestruck…_their father_, of all people, was _crying_?

Slowly, as if not to wake a sleeping beast, she sat up and felt more tears burn her eyes, her eyesight becoming blurry. "Daddy…" she quietly said.

The man's head snapped up in surprise, wiping his tears in vain once again, and tried to put on a convincing smile, "Hey sweetheart, are you feeling better?" his voice cracked but they ignored it.

"Is it true?" she whispered hoarsely, her throat closing up already. Her hand clenched the blankets around her as she waited for his answer. "Is Ichi-nii really…in a coma?" The look on his face was enough of an answer and it _hurt_.

She saw him flinch at the question, as if she had struck him. He hesitated to answer, "Yes, it's true."

The tiny hope in her chest that she had misheard crushed her lugs as she suddenly lost her breath. The tears finally spilled over as the man reached over and wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her to his chest.

Time seemed to stop for many agonizing minutes. It wasn't until Yuzu stirred that they noticed how long they sat, quietly holding onto each other.

Rustling not a few moments later brought them out of their misery induced stupor. "Karin-chan…Tou-chan…" she called quietly. Her big brown eyes opened, slightly disoriented, but sad and worried all the same. The bandage around her head was like an unforgiving reminder of what had transpired not even a day ago.

Karin felt relief flood her, only adding to the tears, but fear of telling her about their brother's condition kept her mute. Her father must have sensed her concern because he quietly said, "She knows, Karin. I told her while you were asleep."

The dark haired girl felt sad all over again, sad that their little Yuzu had to listen to such terrible news. Sad that their only truly innocent family member had to be tainted with such a horrible experience even when their brother tried his hardest to keep her pure.

She looked a bit closer and saw that Yuzu's eyes were a little red and had tearstains on her face.

"Oni-chan…" Yuzu sniffled, tears welling up in her big brown eyes again. She scooted closer as their father's other arm wrapped around her as well and brought to his chest. "Oni-chan…" she cried again, grasping Isshin's shirt like a lifeline. "Oni-chan…"

That was it. Almost as if a dam broke, the family finally let go of trying to stay strong for each other, and let the tears fall again. Yuzu kept crying 'Oni-chan' while Karin muttered 'Ichi-nii' over and over again while

Isshin silently whispered to both girls, "Shh, it's going to be okay." as he battled his own inner turmoil. He believed his words, that Ichigo would be okay, but it didn't lessen the heartache.

If anyone had looked into the room, they would've seen a broken family trying to comfort each other, support each other as they dealt with their sorrow and the horrible sense of déjà vu with the blanket of darkness as – ironically – their only comfort and sense of privacy from the outside world.

Isshin pictured Masaki's beautiful smile and melodic laugh, silently vowing that he would not let another tragedy like hers happen again to this family. They already lost one irreplaceable family member and he would not let history repeat itself.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~BLEACH*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rukia felt the blood drain from her face, leaving her feeling dizzy, weak, and confused. A copy…of the hogyoku…another one…like the thing that was stored in her soul until it was ripped out by Aizen's disgusting, cunning, arrogant hands. She vaguely felt someone guide her to a seat at the table before she felt her legs give and realized it was Rangiku.

Renji wasn't so lucky and ended up falling back on his bottom, a stupefied and alarmed look on his face. "Wh-what? Another hogyoku? How…?" His distress was understandable and the others let the news settle.

"Yare, yare, Hitsugaya-taichou, you shouldn't spread rumors like that, especially about something so serious." Urahara's playful voice cooed, the underlying steel in his tone enough to make lesser Shinigami cringe.

Toshiro's sharp eyes turned to him quickly, a slightly confused and irritated frown on his face, "Excuse me? What do you mean 'spreading rumors'? You said it yourself, another hogyoku was created with the information on those files."

Urahara leaned against the doorframe with the same damn fan in front of his face, concealing his smirk while his eyes twinkled with mirth at their reactions. "I mean just what I say."

Ikkaku evidently had enough with the word games the blonde was trying to play and gnashed his teeth with a snarl, "Just fucking spit it out, dammit!" He had calmed somewhat in the last few hours but the news had put everyone on edge and now his fists were clenched tightly, resting on his knees.

Yumichika stayed close by for support with a grim expression on his effeminate face, knowing that if he tried to restrain Ikkaku in any way, he would end up with an ugly bruise or cut in the morning. It was best to let him seethe and let him hack away at everything in the training room later.

Toshiro gave him a reproachful glance that went unnoticed but said nothing and silently agreed with understanding, Rangiku surprisingly staying calm throughout the whole thing.

Tensions were still high from the hospital visit and frustration was running rampant among them, especially with the upcoming war. One of their strongest warriors was out for Kami-knew-how-long and they still had a threat to investigate along with this. "Are you two alright?" he asked the dazed Shinigami.

They seemed to shake themselves out of their stupor but shock still lingered. "Yeah…" Renji mumbled, "…just feel a little caught off-guard, I guess." More like they fucking blindsided him and Rukia.

Sensing that the time for fun was over, Urahara gave a dramatic sigh and conceded, "Alright, alright, please calm down Madarame-san and don't break anything." His eyes suddenly turned sharp and his tone was one of a captains command, "Please have a seat everyone. This is going to be a long night…or should I say, morning?"

He had everyone settle with a cup of tea before them, sighing to himself when he felt everyones gaze on him – hostile, annoyed, confused, still dazed, and almost hopeful.

Yes…a long morning indeed.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~BLEACH*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Class that morning was – in a word – quiet.

Ishida, Inoue, Chad, and the rest of Ichigo's friends attended school the day after the accident, silent and solemn.

Keigo had a subdued and tired aura around him and even his perverted ways had quieted, much to the delight and confusion of many girls. He was still himself but much less enthusiastic.

Mizuiro was the same way and didn't even have his cell pone out and ignored many girls coming onto him.

Chad was, if possible, even quieter than before, but his silence said it all. It was understandable though. He had almost and could still possibly lose the first true friend – almost brother – he had made. Ishida was a good friend as well, but it was…different. He hadn't fought side by side again judgmental and idiotic wanna-be-gangsters, didn't truly understand how it felt to be singled out because of something out of their control.

Said near genius had his arms crossed quietly, standing supportively close to his girlfriend. When he walked into the room, he nodded to Chad and kept close to Inoue until class started. Somehow, he knew ne wouldn't be able to focus on the schoolwork at all and their makeshift group, Inoue especially, was the only thing that kept him grounded to this sense of reality.

Inoue, on the other hand, tried to be happy and bubbly like usual, trying to raise her friends spirits. She talked to Tatsuki animatedly about anything and everything to keep her mind off of a certain comatose Substitute Shinigami. She knew her smile was strained, she knew her eyes were slightly red, she knew she wanted to cry. But crying solved nothing. Like Ichigo, she had to be strong, in her own way.

Tatsuki was silently thankful for Inoue's distraction, but it also hurt to see her friend struggle while trying to help everyone else. She let a rueful smile curl her lips bitterly, envious of such strength but also guilty for not being able to help with the burden. She mentally resolved herself to try and do the same because Ichigo would be disappointed if she slacked off.

The bell rung, signaling the beginning of class. Some semblance of normalcy returned as the teacher's happy and oblivious attitude – including marking everyone present – and the usual lesson started. Ichigo's gang was only mildly surprised when said teacher gave them a reassuring glance.

Throughout the lesson, students stopped listening, intent of gaining new gossip to feed on and spread like rats with disease infested garbage. It was almost the end of class, fifteen minutes left before lunch, and now almost no one was paying attention.

Still, Ichigo's friends could hear the rumors spreading, the lies being told, the false truths worming its way to every corner of the school, all about Ichigo and the accident that took place only a day ago. The few people in the room that protested slandering Ichigo's name were drowned out and hushed by those around them.

Why wasn't he at school? Did he have something to do with the accident? What happened to the people involved?

"I hear Kurosaki got jumped by twenty yakuza members and lost!"

"Really? I heard _he_ started a fight with the yakuza and beat 'em up but had to go to the hospital."

Keigo and Mizuiro had to stop themselves from attacking the idiots that spoke as if they knew Ichigo. The louder of the two shot a reassuring look to the other, surprising the them both but nodded anyway. Though, that didn't stop his idea of using his contacts for some well-deserved revenge…

"That sounds like him."

"Yeah, probably mad that he didn't get in cause of his hair."

"Ha, definitely."

Ishida's grip on his pencil tightened, almost to the point of snapping it in half. He couldn't help but narrow his eyes coldly, resisting the urge to turn around and shoot an arrow at the fools.

"My friend said that he had something to do with the accident."

"Really? Not surprising. What a troublemaker."

"But what could he have done?"

"Who knows? Its Kurosaki, you know. He probably knows some weird people and had them do it."

"Why?"

"Please, people like him don't need a reason to do something like that."

Chad's jaw clenched and had to stop himself from grinding his teeth angrily. Instead, he closed his eyes and took a deep, silent breath in an effort to calm himself down, their promise ringing in his ears. They didn't know what they were talking about.

"My dad's friend's daughter was there with her cousin and she says she was there when it happened."

"Oh my gosh!"

"Yeah, two ambulances were called and there were a bunch of police cars too."

Even Chizuru was gritting her teeth. She didn't know Ichigo-san like her precious Inoue did, but the rumors being spread were utterly ridiculous! The orange-haired boy she met knew he was a bit rough around the edges and didn't make a warm and fuzzy impression, but he was certainly not what others were saying.

She had seen him smile, she had felt his protectiveness, and knew that the complete opposite of a punk. If anything, he was like a cat. He liked to be left alone, was fiercely protective and loyal, and had a pair of claws and a set of teeth that could make anyone who crossed him or his loved ones sorry.

"Wonder where he is now?"

"Che, probably skipping class again like usual."

"Or jail."

Inoue fought back furious tears, disbelief flooding her as she had to sit through and listen to the nonsense around her. How could they day such things about him? He was the exact opposite of what they thought.

"Yeah, he's probably needs to bleach his hair again."

"Usually his friends are with them though. Y'know, the huge guy Sado and them?"

"He probably ditched them too. Wouldn't be surprised."

"Could be why they're so quiet today."

"Yeah, I know. Even Asano is quiet."

"Creepy."

"Think Kurosaki did something to them?"

Ichigo's only defense were the words of a usually silent girl in their class, "Kurosaki-san isn't a bad person. He would never do something like that. Its' not his fault."

She was quickly hushed, harsh words being told about her as well now. Slowly, word started to spread that she was his accomplice and other…less decent things. Tears welled in the girls eyes but she determinately looked away.

"Betcha she helped him."

"Yeah, who would stick up for that punk anyway?"

A loud bang shut everyone up, even the teacher. They turned in shock to see Tatsuki standing, her fist on the surface of the desk where cracks started to form. "Shut up. All of you." She said quietly. When murmurs were about to start up again, she looked up with watery but livid eyes and shouted, "Shut up!"

The class stayed silent, the students out of fear and her friends out of shock and understanding. "Tatsuki-chan…" Inoue whispered, feeling helpless not for the first time since the whole mess occurred.

"You don't know what you're talking about." Her eyes were now shadowed, but the feeling of raw anger and power rolling off her in waves conveyed what her eyes did not. "I don't get why you guys are so horrible to think like that. Ichigo's not bad person. Sure he acts scary all the time but that's because none of you give him a chance! He isn't some punk that goes looking for trouble, trouble always finds him, the last person who deserves it!"

A snort from her right made her glance at one of the school bullies that was afraid of Ichigo, "Please, that punk _is_ trouble, he doesn't need to look for it. I bet he's the one that caused the accident." Some gasped at the accusation, but most looked like they agreed.

A well-aimed and powerful punch to the nose sent the bully sprawling out of his seat and onto the floor. This time, even the teacher stood in shock, unable to believe what had happened.

"I suggest you do your research before making outrageous accusations. But then again, your small mind wouldn't be able to comprehend much." Ishida mocked coolly, his knuckles throbbing slightly from the impact of almost breaking the others nose and wiped his bloody knuckles on the groaning boys shirt.

Tatsuki had a proud and happy gleam in her eye though she wanted to do that too. Chad and Inoue had stood as well, both silent, protective, and quite frankly, intimidating.

"That's enough!" the teacher commanded sternly before an all out war began in her classroom.

Her voice was enough to bring most of the students attention back to her and were surprised to see her almost as angry as Tatsuki.

"Now, Arisawa-san, Ishida-san, I understand that you two are upset about Kurosaki-sans condition and these false and utterly ridiculous words my supposedly grown-up students are spewing," some were ashamed while others were affronted but were silenced by a well-aimed glare, "but violence in my classroom is unacceptable."

Both bowed silently, "My apologies."

"Sorry, Ochi-sensei."

"Now, if you will Inoue-san. It seems that your fellow classmates need a bit of enlightenment." The teacher commented, directing her student's attention to the TV that rolled into the room.

"Hai, sensei!" Orihime answered, turning on the TV to the news channel.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~BLEACH*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**Author's Note**: Heh, still gonna kill me?

…

…

Yup, I guess so. Ugh. Just do me a favor, when you do kill me, don't get blood on my computer lol. I hope this was enough to appease you. More angst! Yay! All for Ichigo!

I know I'm a bit harsh on Ichigo's schoolmates, but I've read worse and I did put some defense up for him. Personally, I don't think Tatsuki gets enough air time. She is kick ass and Keigo and Mizuiro are pretty cool too. Inoue, Chad, and Ishida (not really him) didn't say anything because they knew it would get WAAAAY out of hand so they had to stay quiet or blow up the school. Yes, even Inoue lol.

Poll. Last chapter it's gonna be up. Any last minute readers that wanna jump on the bandwagon and cast your opinion, hop on fast! Your reviews are like my water! I love you!

**And if any of you are good at psycho analyzing characters in certain situations**, I would love your opinions and views about how they would feel or act in this situation so I can make this seem deeper, more meaningful, and real and not just repeating the same crap over and over again. Please! Thanks!


	7. Author's Note 2

**Author's Note:** Heheh, you all probably hate me right now, huh? I know I haven't updated in…*cringe* three weeks, but this time I have a legitimate reason…at least, I think so. I swear, I thought I put a chapter up like, two weeks ago. I did the whole 'document manager' thing and uploaded it to the thing, and then added a new chapter onto Deception and thought it was working. Well, turns out, my computer was going through a bunch of updates and restarted like, right after I thought I uploaded and updated the story. I guess the whole 'restart' thing messed up the process or something. Yeah, it pissed me off when I find out, three days later, that no chapter was posted.

And even worse, I honestly don't know wtf happened, but a lot of my files that I chose to delete were still in my documents and some files I DIDN'T want deleted were gone…guess what they were. Yup. The next two chapters of the story. So now, I have to redo all the chapters (they were still rough drafts but had a lot of stuff on them) and I can hardly remember what I wrote since it was two weeks ago and I'm making this story up as I go. It sucks. I don't know wtf was going on with my computer but its better now…I think. Idk, im still getting used to this damn thing lol. I'm an sincerely sorry that I haven't updated in a while, but I am getting waaaay busier and I won't be able to update or even write any chapters for the next week because I'm going to BAAAAAND CAAAAAMP!

The poll is going down by tonight for any last minute voters and so far we are going to stick with Ishida/Orihime, Renji/Rukia, and some other little side pairings. There may be a little drama, as in Rukia might be torn between Ichigo and Renji and Renji will get jealous and Ichigo will be confused and everyone will be tense but that's just a little fun stuff for me. xD

Thank you all for your patience and the fact that you might not kill me yet, and I will try to get out a few chapters when I get back. I love you all, you're all great, and I promise the story will pick up speed in a few days.

Ciao~!

JapaneseAnimeFreak16


	8. Author's Note 3

**Author's Note:** I am extremely sorry for not updating in forever. I needed to take a break from the story, as much as I loved it, because AP Biology and my other honors classes are really kicking the crap outta me. Also, I've been getting a lot more ideas for this story that would make it feel…deeper, I guess. IDK how to explain it but I feel that this story is a little shallow, in terms of plot and raw emotion.

Thank you to all of you who have supported me this far but I've decided to work on a new story. It's not new, exactly, more like restarting this one with more twists. The first few chapters will probably similar and will have the same main plotline, but I just want to add a lot of things to the beginning to give me room to branch off with sub plots and other issues to make it more interesting.

It will still have the heavy angst in the beginning, including Ichigo's car accident and all, but I just feel blocked in by what I've already written. I don't want to edit the first chapters I've written because I don't want to make you guys read it all over again with new details, and I feel that the story is already beyond repair at this point.

Thank you once again and I will add another Author's note to this story to give more details as well as the title for my 'new' story. If you are willing to continue to be my readers for this new, basically the same, story, you can add me on Author Alert. I LOVE YOU ALL! Ciao~!

JapaneseAnimeFreak16


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